General Tao's Chicken

• � cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• � cup rice vinegar or white vinegar
• 1 Tbls. soy sauce
• 1 Tbls. Cornstarch
• 1 Tbls. Ketchup or chilli sauce
• Sambal olek (Thai chilli paste) or hot sauce to taste.
• 2 Tbls vegetable oil
• 1 Tbls. Grated fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 2 - 3 cups assorted fresh vegetables, blanched broccoli, and cauliflower, red peppers, mushrooms, snow peas .
• Oil for deep frying
• 2 large chicken breasts
• Cornstarch for dredging (about 1 cup)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Panko or fresh white bread crumbs (about 2 cups.
• � cup peanuts or macadamia nuts.

Make the sauce: In a medium-size saucepan, stir together the sugar, half the water, the vinegar and the soy sauce and bring to a boil. Dilute the cornstarch in the remaining water and stir into the simmering sauce. Cook until the sauce begins to thicken, then add the ketchup or chili sauce. Season to taste with the sambal olek or hot sauce.

Prepare the vegetables.: In a large fry pan or wok on high heat, heat the vegetable oil, add the ginger and garlic and saut� for about 30 seconds. Add you vegetables and stir-fry for about a minute. Stir in the sauce, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Prepare the chicken: Prepare a deep fryer with the oil (Canola or peanut oil work well for this) heated to 320 degrees. Cut the chicken breasts into long strips, dredge them in cornstarch, dip them in the beaten egg and coat them in Panko (or bread crumbs). Fry the chicken until golden, being sure to keep the temperature around the 330o mark. Drain the cooked chicken strips on paper towel and, if needed, keep them warm in a 400o oven. When all the chicken is fried, add it to the simmering vegetables along with the nuts, and stir to coat with sauce. Serve immediately